Friday, March 11th, in the year of our Lord, 2016.
By Kevin Swanson
The Knights of Columbus released a major report yesterday drawing international attention to the Christian genocide in Iraq. The report documents 1,131 Iraqi Christians killed and 125 attacks on churches between 2003 and 2014, including times and places of their murders. Pressure is mounting on the Obama administration to label the systematic killings as genocide. The president faces a March 17th congressionally mandated deadline to provide an answer to the escalating genocide.
Persecution against Christians in Iran is intense, but then that does make sense. Some estimates put the number of recent converts to Christ at 1,000,000. The SAT-7 broadcaster announced that Iranians have downloaded their new Bible app in Farsi 60,000 times since it was released in September. Dr. Rex Rogers, the president of SAT-7 USA, says that their major struggle is the staffing to address the rising interest in the Christian faith among Iranians: “We don’t have enough staff for the SAT-7 PARS channel to be able to pray for all the prayer request that we get. It’s amazing how much comes in. And people are looking; they’re hungry; they’re searching. We’re one of the ministries they contact, and so we try obviously to pray for them. So certainly pray for the people of Iran.”
Tensions continue to rise on the Korean peninsula, as North Korea fired two more short-range missiles. American and South Korea armies are conducting what they call the largest-ever joint military exercise. North Korea has promised a “pre-emptive and offensive nuclear strike” in response to these joint exercises.
A U.S. military commander told the Senate Armed Forces Committee that Somalia is losing the war against the terrorist organization, Al-Shabaab. Commander Rodriguez said of the African governance, “Predatory practices, patronage networks, corruption, as well as inconsistent adherence to the rule of law, combine to crush the hope of a better future.”
”Like a roaring lion and a charging bear is a wicked ruler over poor people. A ruler who lacks understanding is a great oppressor, but he who hates covetousness will prolong his days” (Proverbs 28).
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has signed an executive order allowing transgendered persons to use the bathroom of their choice. Beware parents—that includes public parks, pools, playgrounds, and some museums and recreation centers.
Franklin Graham continues his tour to visit every state capital in America. Next week, he will appear in Denver, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Phoenix, Arizona, and the agenda will be to confess the sins of the nation, as well as individual sins, in the public forum. The evangelist told CNN that God needs to be put back into the public debate. In the New Hampshire debate, Chris Christie, Ben Carson, and Governor Kasich all mentioned God. In the South Carolina debate, only Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio mentioned God. And in the last Republican debate, nobody mentioned God.
“The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4).
The Indiana Senate has approved a bill banning sex-selection abortions, as well as abortions based on skin color and disability. The bill awaits the governor’s signature. South Dakota’s legislature is moving two more pro-life bills to the governor’s desk. If the governor signs the Unborn Pain Capable Child Protection Act, South Dakota will become the 13th state with this restriction. Also, the legislature has approved the Baby Body Part Ban that would make the sale of baby body parts a felony offense.
CNN reports that six people died and three were injured in a shooting in a backyard near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, earlier this week. Strikingly, CNN included an 8-month-old gestational child in the womb in the list of the six persons killed. The suspects remain at large.
“Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none. The Lord is King forever and ever. The nations have perished out of His land” (Psalm 10).
A 47-year-old Air Force veteran is the first United States citizen convicted of attempting to travel to Syria to provide material support to ISIS. Nathan Webster Pugh faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.
A street musician in Israel recently stopped a terrorist attack by clobbering the knife-wielding terrorist on the head with his guitar. Israeli media is calling Yishai Montgomery the Guitar Hero. A local music store contributed a new guitar for his heroism.
And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.